Entries in Nevada Caucus
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Ethan Miller/Getty Images(LAS VEGAS) -- Ron Paul said Sunday morning that it is “hard to say exactly when” he expects to score a victory in an upcoming caucus or primary.

“Of course you set [the bar] for victory, but you have to live in the real world,” Paul told ABC News. “But we have three or four caucus states that we believe our numbers are doing pretty good and we have to wait and see and keep doing exactly what we’re doing.”

Paul, who is the only 2012 GOP presidential candidate who has not won a primary or caucus, said despite his losing record, he has already achieved his goal of igniting a “big change in this country.”

“There is an intellectual revolution going on with the young people,” Paul said. “It has not been translated into an absolute political change, but, believe me, there is an intellectual revolution going on and that has to come first before we see big political changes.”

The Texas congressman criticized his GOP rivals, particularly front-runner and Nevada Caucus winner Mitt Romney, for having no “firm convictions.” Paul said Romney’s economic positions were “flawed,” but that the former Massachusetts governor is apt to change his tune if it means capturing some of Paul’s supporters.

“I think Mitt can change his mind,” Paul said. “He’s changed his mind in the past. He’s going to change his mind if there’s a political benefit to it.”

With 71 percent of the votes tallied, Paul sits third in the Nevada Caucus, about 1,000 votes behind Newt Gingrich, and falling behind his second-place finish in 2008.

Paul said his finish in Nevada was a “disappointment,” but that the poor showing would not put an end to his campaign.

“On the positive side, we will get a bloc of votes. We will still get some delegates,” he said. “And we still will pursue, you know, our plan to go into the caucus states.”

Colorado and Minnesota are the next states to hold their GOP caucuses, both of which go to the polls on Tuesday.

He was helped by the make-up of the electorate and the fact his opponents essentially ceded the state to him. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul didn’t even campaign in the state Saturday, choosing to spend their time and attention on the upcoming caucus states of Colorado and Minnesota.

And, even though Nevada is home to Sheldon Adelson, the financial muscle behind the pro-Newt Gingrich SuperPAC “Winning Our Future,” the group only spent about $50,000 here -- on radio and Internet advertising.

Other examples of why Nevada differed from the four previous contests in South Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire and Iowa:

– Mormons outnumbered evangelical voters: 26 percent of the Nevada caucus-goers were Mormon compared to just 23 percent who said they were evangelical Christians. Only New Hampshire had a lower-percentage of evangelical voters, at 22 percent. Even so, Romney carried evangelicals here with 48 percent — the best he’s done in any state thus far.

– Very low turn-out: With Romney all but assured a win here, Nevada GOPers weren’t exactly inspired to get out to vote. In 2008, just 45,000 Republicans caucused. This year, it looks like even fewer will vote. Given the dismal showing, it’s going to be very hard for Nevada to justify its early state status in 2016.

– Race decided in December: Unlike many of these other early contests where momentum played a role in determining the winner, voters in Nevada were all but immune to the ups and downs on this campaign season. And, that was good news for Romney. A whopping 57 percent of Nevada voters said that they had decided for whom they were voting in 2011. Of those, 57 percent said they voted for Romney.

Romney carried every demographic group, including strong tea party supporters and very conservative voters. More importantly, it denies Gingrich the momentum he’s been so desperate to capture since his big South Carolina win.